by Mark Roeder
“I hear it’s like that with zombies, too,” Marc said.
I flipped him off, and he laughed.
“I’m really curious about him,” I said. “I think that helps me be less afraid.”
“What concerns me is Boothe,” Ethan said.
“Well, Shawn called the cops and told them he was in town. He didn’t give them all the details, but he told them I’d spotted him.”
“You need to be very careful, Dane.”
“Oh, I’m being careful. I really don’t think he’s a danger right now. I sure as hell won’t go off with him somewhere willingly. That would be insane. I figure I’m pretty safe, though. If he’d wanted to hurt me, he could have when he kidnapped me. We were out in the country where there was no one to hear me scream. Believe me, I take Boothe seriously.”
Lunch was near the end by then. Tim and I took our trays and dumped them.
“I guess you just came out again,” Tim said.
“Yeah, now everyone knows I’m gay and I see ghosts.”
“And get presents from them.”
“I don’t know if I’d call this a present,” I said, pulling out the coin.
“I guess I’ve got some competition,” Tim said.
“No way. Jacob is older than my dad!”
Tim laughed.
“I dunno, older guys can be hot.”
“Not if they’re dead,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, dead isn’t a turn-on for me either.”
“Speaking of turning on…maybe I should come over after school.”
“I’d like that, but maybe we should wait a while. Shawn is going to expect us to go at it as soon as possible. It would probably be best to wait a few days. I can’t really picture him pounding on the door if he thinks we’re doing it, but it would be best if we played it cool for a while. I think it will make Shawn feel better about things. He knows we’re going to have sex, but this way it’s less obvious. Besides, you mom wants to talk to you after school, right? She probably expects you to rush over and do it with me as soon as possible, too.”
“I’d forgotten! You’re right, anyway. I guess we should make it easy on them. Besides, now that we can do it we don’t have to be in a hurry. Just so we get to do it a lot!”
“Oh, we will. We will,” Tim said.
***
I took a walk after supper. I needed to get out by myself and think. I wandered over by the old Graymoor Mansion, across the street from the little rental house where I’d lived not so long ago. I’d once lived even closer, with Austin, in the old summer kitchen of the mansion itself.
I stood and gazed at the mansion. If there were ghosts in Verona, they’d surely be in there, but I had one in my very own home. How did one get rid of a ghost? Exorcism? I wondered why Boothe was so desperate to find a way to keep the ghost away. Jacob freaked me out, but he wasn’t that bad. He didn’t try to hurt me or possess me. He was basically just a boy. Sure, he was a dead boy, but other than that…
The old mansion intrigued me but not nearly enough to go inside. When I lived in the little rental house, it looked as though there were lights in some of the windows. It was as if someone was inside, walking around with a lamp. When I’d lived in the summer kitchen, I’d thought I heard screams.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I began to hear organ music coming from inside the old house. At first, I didn’t even realize I was hearing it. The melody was more like a memory than a sound. I’d heard the melody before, when I lived near the old mansion with Austin. I drew right up to the iron fence and listened. The music called me as if beckoning me closer.
“Going in?”
I jumped.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Tim said.
“Do you hear that?” I asked.
“What?”
“Listen.”
“It’s an organ.”
“Uh-huh, and it’s coming from in there,” I said, pointing to the mansion.
“Cool,” Tim said.
“I used to hear that music sometimes. I told you I used to live in the old summer kitchen by the mansion, right over there. Remember?”
“Yeah.”
“Austin said it was the safest place to hide out in Verona, because no one would dare get too near the old Graymoor Mansion.”
“Let’s go inside,” Tim said. “I want to check out that music.”
“No, thank you. I heard too many strange noises coming from inside—screams and moans. I’ve heard way too many stories about people going into Graymoor and never coming back out again.
“Ah, come on. Those are just stories.”
“Are they?”
“Well, mostly.”
“Mostly, huh?”
“Come on,” Tim said. “Taylor and Mark used to meet in there. It was their hideout where no one would bother them. Nothing ever grabbed them. We’ll just take a peek in the door.”
The shadows were lengthening, making Graymoor more foreboding than ever.
“Well, if we’re going to do it, let’s do it now. I don’t want to be in there when it gets dark.”
Tim smiled.
“Let’s go.”
Tim led me to the iron gate, and we entered the overgrown yard. Despite once living only feet from the mansion, I was apprehensive about approaching. The eerie organ music continued. If I was alone, there was no way I’d go inside. With Tim at my side, I felt braver. Even so, I didn’t want to go in. I also didn’t want my boyfriend to think I was a coward.
Every step forward was a struggle, but I didn’t allow myself to stop. The music grew louder as we neared. I could hear it quite clearly as we stepped up onto the porch. We approached the immense front door. Tim reached out and turned the knob. With a push, the door slowly opened.
Tim and I stood on the threshold for a moment. The music was much louder now. The interior was dim, but our eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Tim took my hand and stepped forward. He led me across an immense parlor filled with ancient dusty furniture and old paintings. Tim pointed toward an old pump organ. It was the source of the music. We drew nearer. As we did so, the music became more intense as if whoever was playing it had noticed us and was going all out to give a grand performance.
We stood and watched in astonishment as the organ played itself. The keys moved up and down, but there was no one there to see. Then, the music abruptly stopped. I could have sworn I heard a giggle just after the last note.
“You know, if I hadn’t believed you about Jacob before, I would now,” Tim said.
“Did you hear the giggle?”
“Yeah, it sounded like a boy laughing for a moment there.”
“I’m glad you heard it. I almost thought I’d imagined it.”
“I don’t think we both imagined the same thing.”
“This place is so creepy. Mark and Taylor really used to meet here?”
“Yeah, that’s what Ethan told me. They started meeting here after things got bad for them. I think it was less scary in here for them than it was out there. I guess ghosts aren’t as frightening as bullies.”
“It’s getting dark fast. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen enough,” I said, hoping Tim didn’t detect the edge of fear in my voice.
“Yeah, I don’t want to start wandering around in here. There were those boys who got lost in here sometime in the 1940s or 50s. They never could find them. I remember reading it in an old issue of the Citizen.”
“You knew that and you still wanted to come inside? You said those were just stories!”
“I said they were mostly just stories. Remember, Mark and Taylor came in here several times. Nothing ever hurt them.”
“Let’s just get out of here.”
“Not quite yet.”
My heart nearly stopped. It wasn’t Tim who spoke. It was Boothe. Where had he come from? Had he followed us in, or had he been here all along?
“Brought the little boyfriend for a tour, did we?” Boothe asked.
Tim stepped up close beside me.
“Don’t come any closer,” Tim said.
“Relax, I’m not after your boyfriend.” Boothe looked me up and down. “Besides, I’ve already had him.”
Tim moved forward, but I grabbed his shoulder to hold him back.
“You’re a real asshole, you know that, Boothe,” I said.
Boothe frightened me like few others could, but at the moment I was more angry than afraid.
“So I’ve been told.”
“You planted that coin on me, didn’t you? It had to be you!”
“Of course, I did. That was the whole point of getting you alone. Well, mostly. I was tempted to…but never mind. I accomplished what I set out to do. He came to see you, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
Booth smiled.
“Excellent. He’s your problem now.”
“What do you mean?”
“He came after me. I thought he wanted that damn coin back. I gave it to him so he’d go away, but he still came back, and when he did, I found the coin hanging around my neck.”
“What did he want?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“What did I just say, faggot?”
“Why would he want me? How would he even know about me?”
“You helped me rob his grave, remember,” Boothe said. He looked at Tim, probably hoping to shock him or mess things up between us, but Tim knew all about my past.
“Why would he want me?” I asked.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. I tried to ignore him, but he wouldn’t let me rest. He made my life a living hell.”
“How?”
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough. Like I said, he’s your problem now. I did what he wanted. I passed the coin on to you. Now you can deal with him.”
“You son of a bitch!” Tim shouted. He moved forward again, but I grabbed his shoulder once more.
“Don’t,” I said.
“Go ahead,” Boothe said, looking Tim up and down. “Try it. I’ll warn you, though. Winner takes all, and if I win…well, Dane can tell you what I’ll do to you.”
That infuriated Tim. I used both hands to hold him back.
“No, Tim! Don’t! Please!”
Tim stood still. Boothe stepped closer. He mussed Tim’s hair.
“Smart boy. Now, gentlemen, our business is concluded. I just wanted to make sure the owner of the coin had paid Dane a visit. I was going to hunt you down tomorrow morning, Dane. Thanks for saving me the trouble. Now, I can get the hell out of Verona tonight and I won’t have to hang around this place. It gives me the creeps. The ghost your problem now, boy. Good luck. You’re gonna need it.”
With that, Boothe turned and left. Tim stood there, trembling with rage. I pulled him to me and hugged him.
“I’m glad you were here. Thank you for not attacking him.”
“He needs his ass kicked.”
“Yes, but I don’t want you trying to do it. Boothe is a nasty piece of work. Likely as not he would’ve pulled a knife on you. He’s capable of anything. Thank you for listening to me.”
I kissed Tim on the lips.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I really want to get out of here,” I said.
“Let’s go,” Tim said. He took my hand, led me out of Graymoor, and towards home.
“I hope that’s the last I see of Boothe,” I said.
“I have a feeling it will be. He seems to be finished with you.”
“Yeah, but he’s stuck me with a ghost! I wonder what he meant when he wished me good luck and said I was going to need it.”
“Maybe he was just trying to scare you, make you think Jacob is worse than he is.”
“That would be just like Boothe, but I don’t think so. It was quite a risk for him to come back to Verona. He could have been nabbed by the cops. He must’ve been desperate to ditch the ghost or he wouldn’t have taken the risk.”
“Maybe he was scared enough by Jacob haunting him that he was willing to take that risk. I don’t mean to scare you, but I’d be totally freaked out if a dead boy appeared in my room.”
“I was.”
“So there you go. I think Boothe is a big pussy when you get down to it. He probably just can’t take what you’ve already experienced. I’m sure you’re none too pleased about Jacob haunting you, but maybe that’s all there is to it.”
“Yeah, and maybe he’s gonna drag me down to hell for the bad things I’ve done in life.”
“Now you’re being dramatic. Don’t get yourself worked up over this. You’ll be scared of your own shadow if you aren’t careful. Hey, maybe that’s it! Maybe Boothe hinted that worse is yet to come so you’ll worry about it and be tormented by your own fears.”
“Isn’t that the same as saying he made it up just to scare me?”
“Yeah, but it explains how he means to scare you. He’s trying to use your own mind against you.”
“If you’re right, that is.”
“Yeah. All I’m saying is: don’t let it get to you. Don’t make the problem bigger.”
“Easy for you to say. I don’t think Boothe was lying or making up stuff to scare me. I don’t think Boothe came here of his own free will. I think Jacob made him do it. I’m scared, Tim.”
Tim squeezed my hand and held it tighter.
“I’d guard you all night if I could, Dane.”
“I know you would, Tim. I’m not going to make this worse than it is. I’m just going to tackle what comes up. I’ve very likely already been through worse.”
“Call me and I’ll come running to help,” Tim said.
“Thanks.”
Tim gave me a hug when we reached my house. We shared a kiss, and then Tim watched as I walked inside. I felt more secure knowing he was watching over me.
Shawn
Tristan walked past just as I leaned over and kissed Marc on the lips. I pulled away quickly and watched Tristan walking up the hallway.
“Shit,” I said.
“What?” Marc asked.
“Tristan saw me kiss you.”
“So? Isn’t that kind of the point?”
“Yeah, but he looked…hurt.”
“Isn’t that good news? Doesn’t that mean he feels something for you?”
“Yeah, but…I don’t want to hurt him.”
“You’re forgetting he has something going with Nate London. He shouldn’t be too hurt by you kissing me.”
“He still looked hurt.”
Marc smiled.
“I like the way you really care about people. I know you’ve got a major thing for Tristan, but most guys wouldn’t care if he was hurt. Like I just said, he does have something going with another guy. It’s not as if you’re cheating on him.”
“Then why do I feel like I am?”
“Because you’re in love with him.”
“I don’t know if I’d go quite that far.”
“Puh-lease. You are so obviously in love with him it’s not even funny. I see you hide it from him, but when he’s around and you think he’s not looking…you might as well be holding a sign declaring your undying love,” Marc said. “Listen, I don’t want to lose what we’ve got, but if you want to back off and just be friends, I’ll understand.”
“No,” I said. “I’m being stupid. That’s all. Maybe I should talk to Tristan, but…well, there’s no reason we can’t continue seeing each other and having sex. I really like the sex.”
Marc made a sound of astonishment. “You like it? Really? I’m shocked!”
“Yes, smart ass. I love it! It’s incredible.”
Marc made a move as if he was going to grab the front of my jeans, then laughed.
“I know you love it. I do, too, but I will understand if you want to back off. I can be content with just your friendship. We can still hang out. We can still sit together at lunch. The goal from the very beginning has been for you to get with Tristan and for you and me to just be friends.”
“I don’
t want to hurt you.”
“You’re not going to hurt me, Shawn. I already know how this is going to end. I’ve known from the beginning. I’ll admit, I have feelings for you. I could see myself falling for you. I know how you feel about Tristan, however. You can’t ignore feelings like those. They’re too strong. Even if I was set on having you as a boyfriend, it would be in my best interest for you to get with Tristan. Until you do or until something drastic happens, you’ll never get over him. Maybe you two are meant to be together. Maybe not. I don’t know. Either way, you’ve got to see where things go with Tristan. If you told me right now you just wanted to forget about him and become my boyfriend, I’d turn you down.”
“You would?”
“Yes, because until you get over Tristan—if you get over him—you can’t belong to anyone else. Do you get what I’m saying?”
“Yeah. I understand. You’re right. I’ll tell you something. If Tristan doesn’t want me, I’m going to feel a lot better about it because of you. I really like you, Marc. I’m not in love with you. I have feelings for you, sure, but they aren’t strong romantic feelings. I can see those feelings developing, though. If I’d met you before Tristan…”
“Oh, so I’m the consolation prize, then? Your backup boyfriend?”
“No! No!”
Marc laughed.
“I had you going there, didn’t I?”
“You’re evil. I’m so afraid I’ll hurt you.”
“Well, get over that fear. I went into this with my eyes open. I don’t expect you to become my boyfriend. I expect you to date Tristan. If it works out for you I’ll be very happy for you. If it doesn’t work out…well, then I’ll think about making you my boyfriend.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“No. No one does, so you might as well have me.”
“You’ve been hanging around Brandon and Jon too long.”
“Perhaps they’ve been hanging around me too long.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you to class.”
***
Marc was incredible. I was so glad everything was on the up and up with us. If I’d started dating Marc to make Tristan jealous without telling Marc what I was up to, I could have hurt him badly. I would have also felt like a complete and total asshole. I would have been right, too. Things were already more complicated than I’d thought they’d be, and if I’d been dishonest about my intentions, things could’ve gotten ugly, and people could’ve gotten hurt.